Direct object pronouns

Kurz erklärt

A direct object pronoun replaces the person or thing that receives the action directly. In French, it usually comes before the verb. Use me/m’, te/t’, le/l’, la/l’, nous, vous, or les according to the object being replaced. Le and la become l’ before a vowel sound.

Bildung

subject + direct object pronoun + conjugated verb; with an infinitive: subject + conjugated verb + direct object pronoun + infinitive

Verwendung

• Use le or la for one specific masculine or feminine person or thing.
• Use les for more than one person or thing.
• Place the pronoun before the verb it belongs to, including an infinitive.
• In a negative sentence, ne comes before the pronoun and pas after the conjugated verb.

Beispiele

• Tu connais Marie ? Oui, je la connais. — Do you know Marie? Yes, I know her.
• Ces livres, je les prends demain. — I’m taking these books tomorrow.
• Je vais l’acheter en ligne. — I’m going to buy it online.
• Nous ne vous entendons pas. — We can’t hear you.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Je vois le souvent.

✅ Je le vois souvent.

Unlike English object pronouns, French direct object pronouns normally go before the conjugated verb.

Merke

The pronoun goes before the verb whose action it receives. Choose le, la, or les to match the noun you replace.